EU promises rewards if Iran halts nuclear work

New York Times

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, November 6, 2004

2004-11-06 04:00:00 PDT Paris -- In an effort to stop Iran from producing a nuclear bomb, the 25 leaders of the European Union on Friday offered the country possible economic and political incentives if it suspends its production of enriched uranium.

The proposal coincided with negotiations that opened Friday in Paris in which Iran is seeking to win concessions from France, Germany, Britain and the European Union to allow it the right to produce enriched uranium, which can be used both for nuclear power reactors and to develop nuclear weapons.

As negotiations got under way, the Iranians were willing to consider a temporary suspension of perhaps six months to allow time for a broader agreement and avoid the threat of sanctions, what one European official calls "suspension minus."

The goal of the Europeans, by contrast, has been to push Iran to agree to indefinitely suspend its uranium enrichment in exchange for the promise of economic and political rewards.

Iran has said its uranium enrichment program is only for energy production purposes, claiming it as a sovereign right and a matter of national pride.

On Sunday, Iran's parliament unanimously passed a bill supporting the country's resumption of uranium enrichment. On Tuesday, Iran's President Mohammad Khatami ruled out a definitive halt to uranium enrichment as demanded by the Europeans but expressed confidence that a compromise could be reached.

The spirit of optimism seems to be grounded in two assumptions by Iran: First is that the Europeans seem willing to offer concessions to avoid a confrontation on Nov. 25 when the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, meets in Vienna.

The second assumption is that the international community will not have the political will to impose sanctions on Iran if it does not comply, particularly economic sanctions at a time when oil prices are so high.